User:Luziyca/Sandbox
His Excellency Zophar Bohannon | |
|---|---|
 Zophar Bohannon in 1946 | |
| 1st President of Rwizikuru | |
| In office 2 December, 1946 – 2 December, 1954 | |
| Vice President | Alistair Perry |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Vudzijena Nhema |
| 3rd Chief Minister of Riziland | |
| In office 23 October, 1945 – 2 December, 1946 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Louis Milhaud |
| Succeeded by | position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Zophar Comfort Bohannon 29 November 1895 Port Fitzhubert, Riziland |
| Died | 23 July 1971 (aged 75) Bagabiada, Dezevau |
| Resting place | Civic Cemetery |
| Nationality | Estmerish (1895-1946) Rwizikuran (1946-1971) |
| Political party | Movement for the Advancement of Bahians in Riziland |
| Spouse | TBD |
| Children | 7 |
| Profession | Solicitor, politician |
Zophar Comfort Bohannon (29 November, 1895 - 23 July, 1971) was a Rwizikuran politician who served as the final Chief Minister of the Colony of Riziland and the first President of Rwizikuru.
Born to two Freemen parents in 1895, Zophar Bohannon was a bright student, which led to him studying at the University of Morwall to become a solicitor. After being called to the bar in 1919, he returned to Riziland to serve as a solicitor. He would serve until 1936, when he established the Movement for the Advancement of Bahians in Riziland, which would become the dominant party representing the Freemen community, and the dominant party advocating for "independence within the empire."
In 1945, he became Chief Minister following the formation of a coalition between the United Party and the Movement for the Advancement of Bahians in Riziland.
Early life
Zophar Bohannon was born in Port Fitzhubert in 1895 to Bartholomew Bohannon, a Freeman civil servant, and to Humility Bohannon (nee Nisbet), a Freeman housewife who was the granddaughter of Cornelius Nisbet, and the great-great-granddaughter of Milton Nisbet, who was seen as the first leader of the Freemen community in Riziland. He was the fourth of six children, and the youngest son.
He was educated at the Charles Fitzhubert School from 1900 until 1906, when he began attending the James Parlow Grammar School (present day Shungudzemwoyo Nhema Grammar School). In grammar school, he was described as being "one of the best and brightest minds" in the entire colony, and thus was able to pass sixth form in 1913.
After completing sixth form, and passing his exams, he headed to Morwall, where he studied law at the University of Morwall. His tuition was paid by the Estmerish government as they wanted to "uplift native leaders." After gaining his Bachelor of Laws in 1916, he would work as an articled clerk, eventually being called to the bar in 1919 to practice as solicitor.
He would return to Riziland to work as a solicitor, with his "finest moment" being when he defended many of those arrested during the 1921 race riots at Port Fitzhubert at the lower courts. The riots were "a watershed moment" for Bohannon, with Bohannon later saying that "from that point forward, I knew my true destiny: to uplift my Bahian kith and kin."
This was only strengthened during the Great War, when Gaullica occupied Riziland: Bohannon's older brother, Jedidiah, would end up resisting the Gaullican occupiers alongside many Freemen. Zophar Bohannon, while sympathetic to his brother, and believing that "the Gaullicans would chain us Freemen just like they did to our ancestors on Imagua," did not participate in violent resistance. Instead, he secretly funded resistance organisations, which in 1932 led to Bohannon's arrest by Gaullican forces.
Political career
Early political career
After the end of the Great War in 1935, Bohannon was released from prison, and he briefly returned to work as solicitor. The following year, he left law behind, and entered politics, establishing the Movement for the Advancement of Bahians in Riziland (MABIR) with Duncan Morrison with the aim of "self-governance and independence within the Estmerish Empire."
In 1937, Estmere granted self-government to the Colony of Riziland, with the establishment of a legislative council headed by a Chief Minister. Bohannon decided to run for a seat as a MABIR candidate on one of the eight seats allocated to "natives" in Riziland proper.
Zophar Bohannon would win a seat in the Legislative Council, as well as six other legislators from MABIR. However, they were sidelined by the Sotirian Democratic Party and Conservatives, who together with Archibald Sinclair from the Riziland, were able to form a coalition government. However, as Leader of the Official Opposition, Zophar Bohannon would become one of the more dominant figures within the Legislative Council, wishing for "inclusion of the native majority at the seat of government," and criticising Sinclair for "his efforts to tie himself to the whites, when he should uplift our fellow blacks."
By 1941, however, Bohannon faced a challenge from Samhuri Ngonidzashe of the Rwizikuran National Movement from the left, with Ngonidzashe campaigning on "immediate independence" and attacking the Freemen for "their collaboration with the northerners." Despite these challenges, Bohannon was able to win his seat with relative ease, although MABIR fell from 7 to 4 seats.
As the SDP and Conservatives were unwilling to form a coalition with the New National Party, and there would be a tie if the existing coalition were maintained (albeit with the Conservatives as the senior partner), MABIR was approached to join the coalition. Zophar Bohannon refused, but offered to support the government in "matters of supply and confidence." This allowed for the coalition to stay intact.
During his second term at the Legislative Council, Zophar Bohannon supported Riziland's entry into the Solarian War, supported giving weRwizi co-official status to Estmerish and Gaullican, but did not support universal healthcare, saying that "having free healthcare would mean there would be no funding, which would lead to our hospitals falling into neglect." In 1945, when the SDP and the Conservatives merged to form the United Party, Zophar Bohannon expressed concerns that "the whites are banding together to protect their privileges and halt any chance for a regime friendly to Estmere."
The following year, elections were held, which saw MABIR win six seats, while the United Party won five. As the United Party viewed the New National Party as being too far to the right, and MABIR viewed the Rwizikuran National Movement as being too far to the left, both parties formed a "grand coalition" which would shape Rwizikuran politics for the next several years.
Chief Minister
On 23 October, 1945, Zophar Bohannon became the third Chief Minister of Riziland as a result of the agreement between MABIR and the United Party, succeeding Jean-Louis Milhaud. The agreement sought to ensure that "the rights of the varungu shall be respected in the post-independence period," and that they would be able to stay in an independent Riziland.
His priority as Chief Minister was to focus on ensuring that the mandates of Kigomba and East Riziland were to be integrated into "an independent Riziland," and to oversee a "seamless transition to independence." Thus, he began drafting a constitution, as he anticipated that Estmere would "be more than willing to end its committment to Riziland," and sought to establish an "outpost of democracy in Bahia."
In 1946, the Community of Nations agreed to attach the mandates of Kigomba and East Riziland to an independent Riziland, while Estmere began preparations to give independence to Riziland. In a nod to the Rwizikuran National Movement, he chose to rename Riziland to Rwizikuru, even as he sought to ensure that Rwizikuru would be "not a Rwizi Rwizikuru, but a Rwizikuran Rwizikuru." Thus, over the summer, as the finishing touches were made to the constitution, Bohannon began to prepare for its post-independence future.
On 26 August, 1946, he presented the finished constitution to a vote in the Legislative Council. After it passed with eleven votes in favour to three against, with the two legislators from the Rwizikuran National Movement abstaining, Zophar Bohannon scheduled elections for 24 September, and dissolved the Legislative Council sine die.
Thus, Zophar Bohannon would run against Samhuri Ngonidzashe of the Rwizikuran National Movement, while in an effort to be conciliatory to the varungu community, he appointed Alistair Perry, the erstwhile leader of the United Party, as his running mate. While Samhuri Ngonidzashe campaigned on constructing a "socialist Rwizikuru in accordance with Bahian traditions," Zophar Bohannon campaigned on "building upon Rwizikuru's prosperity for the good of all Rwizikurans."
His efforts to appeal to minority communities who felt threatened by Ngonidzashe's "veRwizi chauvinism" meant that on election day, MABIR won 93 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly, while Bohannon himself won the Presidency with 53% of the vote.
Thus, in the next two months, Zophar Bohannon prepared for the independence celebrations, while simultaneously appealing to the Freemen, Mirites, and varungu to "give Rwizikuru a chance," as he feared that their exodus could lead to Rwizikuru "being set up to fail." Most of these communities heeded Bohannon's call.
President
On 2 December, 1946, he was sworn in as the first President of Rwizikuru, succeeding outgoing Governor TBD.
(TBC)
Personal life
Family
Religion
Zophar Bohannon was baptized in the Embrian Communion, with his name coming from the Old Testament, which means rising early. He was outwardly devout, with Bohannon making a point to attend "every service" since he was a child, and following the traditions within the Embrian Communion.
However, Zophar Bohannon was from the early 1920s onward, heavily involved in the Sapientianist movement, with Zophar Bohannon having been documented as attending jungle lounges in both Port Fitzhubert, and later, Morwall, on a regular basis. According to a fellow member, Zophar Bohannon "believed in reincarnation," and sought to become a Fangolii, although Bohannon "only joined because as he rose to the upper echelon, he felt the need to join the movement."